Best Children’s Books That Teach Kids Perseverance
Teaching our kids to follow through with a difficult task is a life skill that will help them as adults. This list of books will help your children see the value of persevering through challenging problems.
When my kids were little, I taught them this poem to remind them to persevere even when it seems hopeless that they will succeed.
Try, Try Again
’Tis a lesson you should heed,
Try, try again;
If at first you don’t succeed,
Try, try again;
Then your courage should appear,
For, if you will persevere,
You will conquer, never fear;
Try, try, again.
-Anonymous
Another way to show kids the valuable lessons of perseverance is to read books with characters who face and conquer insurmountable challenges. Through the books we read, let’s emphasize the rewards of persevering by observing people who accomplished great things because of their determination.
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Perseverance Books for Young Children
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
As a train carrying numerous dolls and toys for children breaks down, the toys must find a train that will take them to the children on the other side of the mountain. This is a great picture book our little ones love.
- The story of the blue locomotive who exemplifies the power of positive thinking
- Author: Watty Piper
- 48 pages
- Watty Piper (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Katy No Pocket by Emmy Payne
Katy is the only kangaroo among her friends who doesn’t have a pocket for her son Freddy. As she sees how all the other animals carry their babies, she decides she must find a way to give herself a pocket, so she goes to the city and finds an unexpected solution that’s better than she originally wanted. Katy No Pocket is one of our favorite children’s books.
- Payne, Emmy (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 12/01/1973 (Publication Date) – Clarion Books (Publisher)
Brave Irene by William Steig
When Irene’s mother falls sick after she completes a gown for the duchess, it’s up to Irene to deliver the package over the mountain. She perseveres in the face of strong wind and snow, which blows the dress away from Irene. Before she arrives at the duchess’s house, she finds the dress and succeeds in her mission.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Steig, William (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 07/30/2013 (Publication Date) – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (Publisher)
Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
When a little boy plants a carrot seed, his mother, father, and brother all tell him it will never grow. Nevertheless, he continues to water it and pull up the weeds until one day, a carrot plant finally does come up, just as he thought it would.
- Krauss, Ruth (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 05/19/2020 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Publisher)
Perseverance Books for Children of All Ages
The Value of Determination by Ann Donegan Johnson
A bad sickness befalls Helen Keller when she is young, and from then on, she is unable to see, hear, or speak. For a long time, Helen is angry and depressed, not wanting to be good. When her parents give her a tutor to help her learn, Helen is determined to be a mean little girl. But her compassionate teacher, Anne Sullivan, is just as determined to help her to learn. As Helen grows up, she and Anne become good friends, and Helen even learns to speak, hear, and see in her own way because she is determined never to give up. This inspiring story demonstrates what it means to have true determination and perseverance.
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Hardcover Book
- Pileggi, Steve (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 62 Pages – 04/04/1976 (Publication Date) – Value Communications (Publisher)
The Hole in the Dike retold by Norma Green
As Peter, a young boy in Holland, is riding his bike home from a friend’s house, he discovers a hole in the dike. He plugs his finger in the hole to stop the leak as he calls for help, but it is dark out and no one hears him. Although cold and tired, he keeps his finger in the hole the entire night until help arrives the next morning, illustrating that to succeed, you must be willing to do the hard things.
- Norma B. Green (Author)
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
After a fire destroys everything in their house, Rosa’s family must move to a smaller place to live. She notices that every day when her mother comes home from work, she has no comfortable place to sit. Throughout the book, she saves up her pennies in hopes of buying her mother a comfortable chair.
- A book of love and tenderness filled with the affirmation of life.
- After their home is destroyed by a fire, Rosa, her mother and grandmother save their coins to buy a really comfortable chair for all to enjoy.
- The jar of coins is full. The day has come to buy the chair – the big, fat, comfortable, wonderful chair they have been saving for.
- 32 pages.
- Williams, Vera B (Author)
Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream by Deloris Jordan
When young Michael thinks he is too small to play basketball, his mother tells him to put salt in his shoes and pray, and he will get taller — but it doesn’t work. Michael learned that to be a good player, he must practice and never give up. Michael practices all that summer and learns the value of continued effort, which leads him to win his first basketball game for the team.
- Jordan, Deloris (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 11/01/2003 (Publication Date) – Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
Trisha has trouble learning in school and fears that she is different than the other students. When her mother gets a job in California, they move to a new school, where the young girl again feels like she doesn’t fit in because she can’t read. But the new teacher, Mr. Falkner, helps her little by little until she conquers her sadness and finally learns to read. This is a true story from the author’s childhood.
- Hardcover Book
- Patricia Polacco (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages – 05/07/2001 (Publication Date) – Philomel (Publisher)
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Wilson Bentley has always loved to look at snowflakes in the winter. As he grows older, he becomes interested in photography. Wilson Bentley was the first person to photograph a snowflake. Although he faced much criticism from his peers, he never gave up on photographing beautiful pictures of snowflakes. The wonderful book contains beautiful illustrations of Bentley’s work and his photographs.
- Snowflake Bentley By Martin Jacqueline Briggs Azarian Mary ILT
- Martin, Jacqueline Briggs (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 12/28/2009 (Publication Date) – Clarion Books (Publisher)
“The Kite” from Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
Frog and Toad attempt several times to fly their kite outside, but cannot even get it off the ground. A few robins sit in a bush and laugh as the two try over and over to get it to fly. Finally, a wind comes up, and the kite goes so high in the air that the robins can’t even fly up to it.
- Lobel, Arnold (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 64 Pages – 02/03/2004 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Publisher)
The Empty Pot by Demi
The emperor is getting old and must choose his successor, but he loves flowers so much that he decides to let them choose. He gives all the children one seed to grow in a year. Whoever grows the biggest flower in one year will be the new emperor. One little boy named Ping receives one as well; he tends it every day, but the seed doesn’t grow. After a year, all the children bring their pots to the emperor, including Ping, with his ashamedly empty pot. But the emperor tells the children he cooked all the seeds — once cooked, they cannot grow. In the end, Ping is honored for persevering and telling the truth.
- Hardcover Book
- Demi (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 03/15/1990 (Publication Date) – Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (Publisher)
Perseverance Books for Teens and Tweens
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
This entire story splits between two characters, Salva and Nya. They live in Sudan during hard times but don’t know one another. Salva is separated from his family during a civil war and embarks on a perilous journey to reach a refugee camp in Ethiopia. Nya must walk several miles each day just to get water for her family. Her life changes when an organization drills a well in her village. Little does she know the organization is run by Salva.
- Ages 10 and up
- Grades 5 and up
- Park, Linda Sue (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 128 Pages – 10/04/2011 (Publication Date) – Clarion Books (Publisher)
Never Give In: The Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill by Stephen Mansfield
The story of the life of Winston Churchill is truly inspiring. Though he faces challenges and hard work, the way he overcomes them is my favorite thing about this book. The author portrays his endurance and strong resolve amid hardships and adversity.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Mansfield, Stephen (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 223 Pages – 01/01/1997 (Publication Date) – Cumberland House Publishing (Publisher)
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen
For my older girls, this book is absolutely one of their favorites. It centers on Gerta, a twelve-year-old when the Berlin Wall goes up, separating East and West Berlin. Her father and brother are trapped on the other side, and she must find a way to reach them. When her father sends her an important message showing a picture of a building, she knows that’s where she must start her underground tunnel. She convinces her older brother, Fritz, and finally her mother to help her, but they are running out of time before Fritz will be called away on military duty.
- Item #:NTS568244
- ISBN13:9780545682442
- Format:Paperback Book
- Pages:352
- Genre:Historical Fiction
Robert the Bruce: the king and the Spider by Molly McPherson
Robert Bruce is the king of Scotland who lost battles six times against his enemies. He gives up all hope and leaves his country to whatever fate befalls them. One night, lying in a poor woodchopper’s hut, he sees a little spider trying to connect her thread from one beam to another. She tries six times and fails, but the seventh time, she succeeds. Bruce thinks of himself and decides to lead his armies and fight for victory once again.
- MacPherson, Molly (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 24 Pages – 04/02/2019 (Publication Date) – Kelpies (Publisher)
Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare
During the French and Indian War, Miriam Willard and her family were captured by Abenaki Indians. As they journey north, they face severe challenges, such as cold, a baby’s birth, and hunger. Miriam must learn to adapt to her new life but soon can go back to England, where she marries Phineas Whitney. Although she faced many difficulties in her life, she can rise above them and continue to succeed.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Speare, Elizabeth George (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 300 Pages – 10/29/2001 (Publication Date) – HMH Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
Leave a Comment with Your Perseverance Book Suggestions!
I hope you are inspired to add more of these perseverance books to your library. What books would you add to this list?
You may also enjoy these similar book posts which emphasize positive character qualities.
